A guidebook to human biology and puberty for boys was recently pulped by its publisher for uproar over a page that indicated that women have breasts in part to “make the girl look grown-up and attractive.”

Recalling the certain horrors of growing up as a nerd becomes more palatable when Cool Dork Tina Fey chronicles her own humble—often humiliating—youth. She recently did just that on the Graham Norton Show, with, of course, some prompting from the host.

I was nine when Now and Then was released, and because it was PG-13, my parents were disinclined to let me see it in theaters. But I battled fiercely for my cause. The previews alone engendered in me a sense of urgency—a conviction that I would be ill-prepared for puberty if I did not see the film immediately upon…

Lammily dolls, otherwise known as “Normal Barbies,” have been on the market since November 2014, offering a less anatomically freakish alternative to Mattel’s perky double-D model. And now, thanks to a new “Period Party” expansion pack, she’ll even teach your child about menstruation!

Last week we asked you if you remembered getting checked out the first time by dudes, and you told us. Though women are certainly not a monolithic group, it’s startling how universal some of our experiences are. To find out, just ask some ladies what it’s like to live in a female-identified body, sit back, and bum the…

There are many notable firsts in a young woman’s life, but a frontrunner on the formative short list may be the moment you realize you are desired by the opposite sex—with a look, a catcall, a gesture, or worse. We’re curious about this moment. We want to know whether it was pleasant or terrible for you, and at what…

I remember when I first learned about blackheads. I was a not-quite-teenager and I had come to terms with the fact that zits were looming in my future—weathering the years of ruined photos and traumarama school dances (lol/cry @ the idea that I'd ever get asked to a dance) seemed like a rousing, communal rite of…

It’ll come as no shock you to learn that boys and girls in these modern-day United States, fed on country-fried steroidal chicken breasts and good ol’ American colas, have begun to hit puberty at earlier ages than they ever have before. This might actually be a good thing in some respects, since early adolescence may…

A head-scratching new study published Saturday in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that young men in the United States are budding earlier, much like their female counterparts, which has largely frustrated researchers who always supposed that estrogen-like chemicals in the environment were hastening puberty in…

Screenwriter Andrea Portes, whose novel Hick has been made into a feature film starring Chloe Grace Moretz, recalls that after one preview screening a middle-aged male viewer commented, "I can see making a coming-of-age story about a boy. But when it's a girl... it's just creepy."

Good grief — we thought we had it bad with all of that uphill-bothways walking and Are You There God? It's Me Margaret-ing, but today's girls definitely have it rougher. In addition to online bullying and One Direction, girls are now dealing with entering puberty at earlier and earlier ages, with some even showings…

Studies have shown that girls are reaching puberty younger and younger, to the point that Kotex now has a line of maxi pads intended for 8-year-olds. There hasn't been as much discussion of when boys start puberty, perhaps because it doesn't require an awkward trip to buy new undergarments, and is thus less noticeable…

For many young women, the realization that you're growing breasts is fraught with mixed emotions, including, terror, sadness, shame, anxiety, confusion and excitement. Misty watercolor memories all over the place!

A study found girls from higher-income households, and particularly African-Americans, are likely to develop breasts and pubic hair earlier if they don't live with their biological father. The presence of other adult males in the home doesn't change the results.

Early onset of puberty in girls has been linked to several factors, all of which are rather contentious. According to certain studies, overweight girls — and Black and Hispanic girls — are more likely to develop early than white girls.